Martin B-26 Marauder: The Wingless Wonder was the name of a variant of Avalon Hill's B-17: Queen of the Skies solitaire boardgame. A draft of B-26 was available for play testing which used the B-17: Queen of the Skies rules and B-17 was needed to play. Everything has changed since then, and B-26: The Marauder Strikes! has completly new mechanics and is a stand alone game. It is a solitaire game set on board a Martin B-26 Marauder medium bomber during World War Two in the European Theater of Opearations from July 1943 until the end of the war in May 1945.

B-26: The Marauder Strikes! is a big game in that there are many target lists, rules, mission maps and details which are not found in B-17: Queen of the Skies or B-29 Superfortress: Bombers over Japan. For example, the Damage Tables are more detailed than the earlier games and the combat system is similar, but completely new. The Target Lists include a large selection of targets attacked by B-26s from July 1943 until the end of the war in May 1945 and are placed on 13 maps (movement boards) which are different depending on where your base is located, from England to the Netherlands. Different models of the B-26 is also included from the early B-26 in 1941 until the B-26G which entered combat in October 1944. The earlier models are not used in the European Theater of Operations (the ETO) in which B-26: The Marauder Strikes! is set, but will be used in 22nd Bomb Group: Marauders from Australia, an add-on variant set in the Pacific in the war against Japan in New Guinea.

The rules in this Flight Manual try to reflect the twin engined B-26 Marauder and situations and events which the crews saw on their missions and historical accuracy has been an important guideline during the development of this game.

Players familiar with B-17: Queen of the Skies or B-29 Superfortress: Bombers over Japan recognize the mechanics used in B-26. One or more 6-sided dice are rolled on tables to plan the mission, to determine if enemy fighters appear, to hit with machine gun fire and to determine damage and wounds and much more. B-26 is as easy to play as B-17 with its basic system which is similar to the mechanics in B-17: Queen of the Skies. Players who have flown missions in B-17 may find that B-26 is similar, but more detailed and there are ideas included in B-26 which can be found in the B-17: Queen of the Skies community. If you add the advanced and optional guidelines you will find B-26 to become deep, detailed and complex, but still does not stray far from the simple mechanics of the basic system. You will also find yourself in situations where you have to make a decision.

The Core Game Flight Manual will be used to play the A-20 Havoc, A-26 Invader and B-25 Mitchell add-ons.

You can begin your campaign flying missions from bases in England or jump in later in the war when the B-26 groups had moved to the continent and you will find Mission Maps with your station either in England, France, Belgium or the Netherlands depending on when you fly your missions. Put together a crew, name your B-26 and fly missions over France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxemburg, Germany, Austria and Chechoslovakia!

Advanced/Optional in Italics. I am not using the Fuel Consumption and Bomb Load Add-Ons on this mission. No House Rules.

Turn 1 – Zone 0 – Take-Off

1. Table TOA-1a, Take-Off: I roll ”6” on 2D6. Pilot Skill is +0 since my pilot has more than 5 missions, but less than 21 missions. The B-26 Take-Off Modifier (B-26B) is -1. The final result is “5” and I take off without any incident.

2. Table TOA-2a, Take-Off Turn Events and Formation Assembly. On this mission the group has problems during Formation Assembly and will fly a bad formation today. I roll “8” on 2D6, Bad Formation Assembly and Flying. (This will affect rolls on MT-1b.)

Turn 2 – Zone 1

We’re on our way and move into Zone 1, South of London.

1. Table Z1-1, Formation Events. I roll on this to find out if the formation is flying a tight, normal or lose formation now, random events, mechanical failure, casualties, the weather may be bad, or navigational errors. We may have drifted off course, which will make it harder for the Little Friends to RV with the bombers. My 2D6 is “7- NA.”

2. Table Z1-2, Rendez-vouz with Little Friends. I should have Good Close Escort today, but I must roll on this table to see if my Little Friends are where they are supposed to be at this time. 2D6 says “8” which means that RV is successful. I place three Fighter Cover (Close Escort) Counters on the Combat Board.

3. In the Gazetteer I have modifier in this zone of -5 which means that enemy fighter might attack. I must check 2D6 on Mission Table 2 (MT-2), Luftwaffe Early Warning Operations. “6” with modifiers for Heavy Enemy Airforce Resistance (EAR) +1; GAZ Mod -5; Litte Friends Good Close Escort -3. The final result is -1: No fighter attacks (0-5 is None).

Turn 3 – Zone 2

I move the B-26 Counter from Zone 1 into Zone 2. I am now over water, crossing the Channel, between England and France.

1. Mission Table 1a (MT-1a), Formation Events: In Zone 1 I rolled on Z1-1. (MT-1d and Z1-1 are similar, but Z1-1 is used only in Zone 1 on route to the target.) From now on I use MT-1a. The 2D6 is “10 – Navigation Off Course.” I am off course and will have to check MT-1d, Navigation before moving into the next zone. If I was over land I would have to check MT-1d, Navigation for Flak Zone.

2. Enemy Fighters may attack now. The GAZ Modifier in this zone is -2. I roll 2D6 on MT-2, Luftwaffe Early Warning Operations: “5” and add modifications for Heavy Resistance +1; GAZ Mod -2; Little Friends – Good Close Escort -3. The final result is “1” which means that no fighters attack.

3. I am Off Course and must now check Navigation on MT-1d. 2D6 is “8” and +1 for Togglier (since I am not in a lead position, I do not have a bomb sight and the navigation is done by the Lead Navigator in Ship #1, Lead Flight.) On a result of 6 or higher the formation is on course. I will now into Zone 3. (Had I been Off Course I would have to stay one more turn in this zone.)

Turn 4 – Zone 3 – Target Zone

1. During Mission Planning I rolled on MP-2 for Weather Forecast over the Target. Now I must find Target Zone Table1 (TZ-1), Weather Conditions and roll 2D6 to see if the forecast has changed. The forecast was poor. I roll 2D6 and check the result on the Poor row. I roll “12!” 12 is in the Very Bad column. The weather has changed from poor to very bad, the target is completely covered by cloud and I cannot bomb. However, for this example of play I will now change the result to “Fair.”

2. MT-1a, Formation Events. “3-Formation Check.” I must check how my formation is flying by rolling 2D6 on MT-1b, Formation Check. “7” and -1 for flying in the Target Zone and +1 for Bad Formation (see Turn 1, step 2). The result is “7 – Normal Formation.” (A formation can be normal, tight or lose.)

3. Now, let’s see if fighters attack on MT-2. The 2D6 is “4” and with modifications (Heavy +1; GAZ +0; Good Close Escort -3; Target Zone, To Target +1) the final result is “3 – None.”

4. A. There is Flak! Radar Controlled Heavy Guns will fire. I go to table TZ-2, Flak Accuracy and Intensity. First 2D6 for Intensity with no applicable modifications. “8” and that is Strong Intensity. The next roll is D6 for Accuracy with applicable modifications. “3 – Fair.”

B. After Intensity and Accuracy I must roll on TZ-3a, Flak To Hit and I roll under Fair and 2D6 three times (three times for Strong Intensity). “4 – Hit; 9 – Miss; 5 – Miss.”

C. With one “Hit” on TZ-3a I roll once on TZ-3b, Number of Flak Hits under “Heavy.” I am lucky! “3 – Superficial.”

5. A. I have come to the Bomb Run. First I must identify the Aim Point on TZ-1. The weather is Fair and I need 6+ on 2D6 to ID the Aim Point. My roll is “5” with +1 for being a Togglier. (The +1 represents the Lead Bombardier’s Skill.) The Aim Point is identified and the B-26 box drops the bombs.

B. Since I am a Togglier I roll on TZ-4b, Togglier/Bombing on the Formation Leader. 2D6 is “8” with no applicable modifications. “5-8 = On Target, 500 feet.” The formation is On Target. I was not by flak and look at the bottom half of the table. There are no applicable modifications. (Note: I might add Bad Formation Flying -1.)

C. Damage on TZ-5a. The formation was on 500 feet. I roll 2D6 and check the result under On Target, 500 feet. “11 – 90% - Excellent.” That is really good! (I can check TZ-5b for the result of Box 1: Aim Point is found and Excellent result!) Damage Assessment on TZ-5a: My target is medium size. To destroy it I need 1x Superior. Box 1 was Excellent and my Box 2 was Excellent. 2x Excellent equals one Superior! The ship yard is DESTROYED!